Category talk:Game mechanics
What about "Game concept"?[edit]
Actually, when I made karma I was thinking of making a category called "Game concepts". I also had ideas about some other articles like healing (as a game concept of course, not the spell). What do you think? I think "game mechanics" sounds like physics, while "concepts" sounds more broad, which I think is what was intended by this category. The Ultra-Mind (talk) 16:51, 23 July 2020 (UTC)
- I chose "game mechanics" because it's already a commonly used term in game design, thinking along the lines of a category that would cover the rules and systems that govern gameplay (e.g. anything points-based and other design elements that would break the fourth wall if mentioned in-game). In U4 especially, karma is similar to the mechanic of victory points, so it seemed like a good fit. This article even specifically lists karma as a genre-changing RPG mechanic (without crediting Ultima, no less!)
- It seems like what you have in mind for "game concepts" is more from an in-game perspective; would that be right? In which case, is there any reason we couldn't use both categories? --Terilem (talk) 12:21, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
- I took "Game concept" from wikipedia:Civilization (video game) (baby duck syndrome). It probably would have been a better term, but since "Game mechanics" seems to be the one that stuck, I guess we'll go w/that.
- I can't tell the difference between that and your idea of "game concepts". As you can see from articles I've added to this category, the content seems pretty in-game. The Ultra-Mind (talk) 18:29, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
Just about the same way you just defined "game mechanics" in the category. Before that, I would have said it was a plot point that the affects general gameplay. You just sounded like you had some more refined and distinct idea for another category, so I'd encourage you to run w/it. The Ultra-Mind (talk) 14:10, 28 July 2020 (UTC)
- Reading the Wikipedia page on the subject hasn't helped. Perhaps we could do w/some examples. Take Teleportation (concept): most of this article is what I would apply the word "mechanics" to, in that the player uses these features and has to understand them (something that sounds like "gameplay", but the Wikipedia article addresses that term, too, but doesn't help). Other things, like the blue and red moongates that transport the player to Britannia I would call a "concept". This is because the user's usage of them is pretty sparse; only pushes a space bar and the game pushes the player through the moongate. This is merely "plot"--"flavouring". But the technical definition of "game mechanics" may allow for that. Does it?--The Ultra-Mind (talk) 21:32, 14 January 2021 (UTC)
- Hmm. I'd be inclined to think moongates are a manifestation of the underlying game mechanic of teleportation rather than a mechanic unto themselves, but I'm no game designer so my understanding of the matter is bound to be imperfect. This video defines game mechanics as the core systems and operations that remain once you strip away the visuals and plot: the mechanical underpinnings of a game. Inventory, conversations, crafting/item interactivity, and movement are some other examples that spring to mind. --Terilem (talk) 10:40, 18 January 2021 (UTC)
- Well... then... from what I hear in that video, this means game mechanics are what I thought they were in the first place. This means that some of Teleportation (concept) isn't game mechanics. Furthermore, wouldn't this mean that the majority of articles here belong in the game mechanics category? I would also estimate that the central subject of most of those articles are game mechanics.
- But I'm hesitant to introduce my own neologisms, like "game concept". "Theme" is the best I can glean from the Wikipedia article. Lousy category name though. In any case, in my view, "theme" (a la Wikipedia) is mutually exclusive from game mechanics. I would have applied "game concept" as something that encapsulated game mechanics.--The Ultra-Mind (talk) 19:31, 18 January 2021 (UTC)
Don't know what else to contribute here. The technical underpinnings are what I had in mind when I created the category, and I'd suggest that if a given topic affects gameplay and would break the fourth wall were it to be discussed within the Ultima universe, it's probably more of a game mechanic. If you feel an additional category would better cover the other topics you have in mind, then by all means make one. It's not the end of the world if there's some overlap between the two. --Terilem (talk) 10:00, 19 January 2021 (UTC)